Support the Library

The Annual Fund

In this recession the James V. Brown Library is both a bargain and a boon to those hit hard by current conditions. More than a thousand people come through our doors every day. More books and other materials are being borrowed than last year. The library’s public access computers and wireless internet capability are being used to research job opportunities, apply for government benefits and keep connected to the world.

Library services continue to be threatened by a reduction in state funding caused by the current economic crisis. The library is funded by Lycoming County government, the state of Pennsylvania, its own earned income efforts, grants, and individual donors. Paper form to print and mail.

Please read our brochure to learn more

Annual Fund Frequently Asked Questions

Book Endowment Program

Not Everyone Can Endow a Library … But Everyone can Endow a Book

Donations of $250 create perpetual Book Endowments each year, forever. Your one-time tax-deductible gift of $250, payable in five annual installments if you prefer, will purchase a book every year for the library collection . . .forever. You can touch the future by putting a book in the eager hands of a child or an adult. Each book you endow will have a bookplate recognizing your vision.

Donate Online (Designate gift as Book Endowment).

Buy a Brick & Support the new Children’s Wing

It takes a community to build a library. Make a lasting impression. Donors contributing $100 can sponsor an engraved paver on the walkway leading to the garden area behind the new children’s wing or on the walk bordering the new facility.

The purchase of memorial or honor bricks provides a way to have your name literally “set in stone” for a lifetime. Cost per finished 4x8x2 inch brick paver is $100. This price includes 3 lines of text in large print. Donors purchasing 10 or more bricks will also be listed on the Donor Wall inside of the new wing. Buy them for your children or grandchildren, friends and loved ones! Include text for bricks on form (up to 14 characters, including spaces, on each of three lines). Donate by Mail (fill in brick order form and please mail or return to the library)

Memorial Book

The Memorial Book Program is a lasting way to honor the memory of friends and loved ones.

Donations to the Memorial Book program allow the library to select books in an area that reflects the interests of the person being remembered or to add needed titles to areas such as animals, history, gardening and art or nature.

Memorial Books for the Welch Children’s Wing provide beautifully illustrated children’s books that will delight generations of children.

The inside cover of each book purchased with your donation will contain a special book plate along with an inscription of the honoree’s name and the name of the donor.

In addition to the book plate an announcement of your gift will be sent to the family informing them of your thoughtfulness. As a donor you will receive a letter of thanks as well as a receipt for your tax-exempt contribution to the library. When you pay tribute to a departed friend or loved one through a book, you honor the past and touch the future. Donations in any amount are gratefully accepted.
Donate Online (Please designate gift as Memorial Book with recipients name)

Adopt a Magazine

One thousand people a day come through the doors of the James V. Brown Library. Here is an opportunity to get your business name and logo in front of them. For a $100 donation to the library, we will put a sticker on the front of the magazine of your choice, recognizing your adoption, for a full year. This is a moderate investment, for a lot of business exposure. We hope you will consider this opportunity, and remember, helping the library helps the community. Get started here

Adopt a Summer Reader

Help children maintain their learning over the summer months. Every fall teachers must spend a month or longer re-teaching lessons from the previous school year. This is known as the ‘summer slide.’ Experts agree that children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not, slide backward.

One way to avoid the summer slide is for a child to participate in the Library’s free and fantastic summer reading program, which encourages reading, family interaction, and school readiness. The 2011 theme is One World, Many Stories Summer. We need your help to keep this important program going and growing. Please consider adopting a summer reader for just $10, or select another level of support:

• Adopt 5 Readers……………$50.00
• Adopt 10 Readers………….$100.00
• Adopt 15 Readers………….$150.00
• Adopt 20 Readers…………$200.00

Donate Online (Designate your gift as Summer Reading Program)

Join the Friends of the Library

Learn more about Joining the Friends of the Library. The Friends of the Library brings together library supporters for activities that enrich and promote the library, especially their bi-annual book sales and support for Children’s Programs. Friends financial support for Library programs and facilities during the last five years has totaled more than $120,000. Your gift will help the library meet our community’s needs for the 21st century.

Your annual contribution of $20 or more makes you a Friend of the Library. More importantly, it helps support and sustain one of Lycoming County’s cultural treasures—the James V. Brown Library. Your gift helps the library continue the basic activities that draw an average of more than 1,000 people daily to downtown Williamsport. Join the Friends of the James V. Brown Library

Volunteer at the Library

We’re are very grateful for all our wonderful volunteers. Committed, enthusiastic people help maintain and strengthen the high levels of service our patrons expect and deserve.Volunteers are selected for a specific job placement based on availability of the job, their qualifications and interests.

The library also welcomes senior-high school and college students who need service learning hours, who are considering a career in library sciences, or who want a feel for the job world. We’re a great place to gain valuable work experience. Learn more about being a volunteer.

Endow a Subject Collection

You may wish to endow an entire subject collection at the James V. Brown Library, for a donation of $10,000, you will be recognized with a bookplate in each book of the collection, forever. Named collections include: Life Stories, World War II, Culinary, Cats, Dogs, Science Teacher Resource Area, American History, Religion and Music. And many more, both in the new Children’s Wing and the Vintage Collection.
There are still many collection endowment opportunities available. Please contact Development Coordinator, Robin Glossner at (570) 326-0536 to explore this opportunity.

Century Fund

Join the James V. Brown Library’s Century Fund, and make the library part of your estate plan, to provide for the library’s future. We ask you to consider making a difference for the long term future of the James V. Brown Library by considering a planned gift or bequest. Planned giving refers to the process of making a charitable gift of estate assets to the James V. Brown Library.There are many options available to you in making a planned gift. Such as, Charitable Remainder Trust, Charitable Lead Trust Contingent, Individual Retirement Accounts, IPO’s, Options and Restricted Stock, Gifts of Tangible Personal Property, Gifts of Real Estate, Gifts of Life Insurance, Gifts of Stock.